Victoria's
Wisdom
TYPES OF ANIMAL TOTEMS
Here
you will find out how to discover your animal totems. You will find your Life Long Totem, your Journey Totem, your
Message Totem, your Shadow Totem, your Power Totem, and how to Work with any or
all of your animal totems.
TYPES OF ANIMAL TOTEMS
Do
you know your animal totems? Begin the process of discovering your animal
totems by examining the animals you have been most interested in, and the times
of your life that interest was maximized. Use the following questions to help
determine which animals are probably totems for you in your life.
Which animal or bird has always fascinated
you? (You are drawn to that which most
resonates with you. Those animals which
fascinate you have something to teach you.)
When you visit the zoo, which animal do you wish
to visit first or the most? (children especially respond to this)
What animal(s) do you see most frequently when
you are out in nature? Have you had encounters with animals in the wild? (The
animals you encounter, in their city environments or in the wild, have
significance for you. You can learn from them, even if only about survival
within that environment.)
Of all the animals in the world, which are you
most interested in now? (Our interests in animals change. Yes, you usually have
one or two that are lifetime, power animals, but others become prominent when
there is something important or specific to teach you.)
What animal most frightens you? (That which you
fear the most is often something you must learn to come to terms with. When you
do that, it then becomes a power. Some shamans believe that fears will take the
shape of animals, and only when you confront them without fear do their powers
/ medicine work for you ~ instead of against you. Such an animal become a
shadow totem.)
Have you ever been bitten or attacked by an
animal? (Historically, if a shaman survived an attack, it was believed that the
animal was the shaman's spirit totem and the attack was the totem's way of
testing the shaman's ability to handle the power.)
Do you have dreams with animals in them ~ or are there animal dreams you have never forgotten? (This is especially important if the dreams are recurring or if at least the animal image in the dream is a recurring one. Children often dream of animals and attention should be given to these animals. They will often reflect specific spirit totems of the child.)
When
discovering totems you must first find out if the totem is a Life, Journey,
Message or Shadow Totem. All totems are powerful but the meaning that the totem
brings will vary depending on what type of totem has come to you. Before you go
further you must learn what your Life Totem is. Discover your Animal Totems and
find out what they are.
Answer
the questions after each description to help you discover the Animal Totems in
your life. Remember that you may not currently have a Journey or Message totem
and finding out your Life animal totem is not always easy. When answering these
questions you may have more than one answer per question but don't start
listing out all animals, just the ones that are really important to you. Follow
your instincts when answering the question ~ when in doubt ~ don't answer.
LIFE LONG ANIMAL TOTEM
Your
life long animal totem can arrive at any time and will work with you throughout
your entire life. Whether you have one, or many, it is there when you need it's
powers, always reminding you of your power and connectivity. Let's concentrate
on the main life totem at this time. The messages that your life totem bring
are a hard reminder from mother nature. Your life totem is always there for you
and generally reflects your inner spiritual nature. If, for example, your life
totem is an eagle it probably means you are seeking wisdom. It is also
important to understand which type of eagle is your animal totem since some
have additional characteristics that are important to consider. This is true
for all animals as there are many different types of each, e.g. different
goats, whales, birds, etc. yet each are referred to under a single heading.
When
you were a child, what animal did you collect or obsess over that you are still
attracted to today?
Of all animals if you could have any animal as a pet or
companion what would it be?
When going to the zoo, which animal do you spend the most time
with or are drawn to?
If you could be any animal what animal would it be?
What animal is in your dreams that you have had since childhood?
What animal are you afraid of that you have no idea why you are
afraid of it?
Of all animals what animals are you most attracted to?
When you are out in nature, do you often seem to run into the
same animal?
What animal have you bumped into over and over throughout your
life?
What animal have you watched for hours?
Does art work or jewelry with a certain animal always attract
you?
Your
life long animal totem will be the animal that you answered at least three times
out of the eleven questions. The more time the same animal is listed in your
answered the more important and stronger it is in your life.
JOURNEY ANIMAL TOTEM
Your
journey animal totem reflects a period of time that is measured in weeks,
months, and years [but not days] and it is the time it takes you to walk the
path that the animal totem is reminding or guiding you on. During this journey
you will find that this animal is always showing up in your life or that
several animal totems will appear in your life all to guide you on the path.
When you suddenly find two or three animals making an appearance around the
same time and their natures are basically the same then you have found your
path. The difference between the journey animal totem and the message animal
totem is a period of time. A journey animal totem will slip in and out of your
life over a time period.
What
animal have you started to see occasionally that you never saw before?
What
new animal are you attracted to?
Are
you dreaming of an animal lately?
Are
you thinking about an animal lately?
In
the past two weeks what animals have you seen or dreamt of several times?
If
you have a journey animal totem you will have answered at least two of the
questions with the same animal. Blessings on your new path.
MESSAGE ANIMAL TOTEM
Your
message animal totem usually brings you self growth or a spiritual message ~
like a wake up call, or slap in the face. It will usually arrive quickly and
impartially in your life and the experience is usually quite powerful and has
great impact on you.
What
animal surprised or startled you today?
What
animal that you don't usually see, have you seen a couple of times today?
What
animal entranced you today?
If
you only answered one question then this is a message you should consider. If
you answered the same animal to two question then this animal is your message
totem with a very important message. Heed it's word quickly for the message is
for now and today.
SHADOW ANIMAL TOTEM
Your
shadow animal totem may be an animal you have been attracted to. They bring
great power for you to use and in order to prevent this power working against
you they will put you through tests before allowing the power to work with you.
In all of nature and in the spiritual realm [shadow world] there are prey and
predators. A shadow animal totem is one that you initially fear as it often
represents inner fears that you must overcome ~ you are usually given a very
vivid test to see if you are ready to accept the power of the animal totem.
Until you face the fears of the shadow animal totem it's powers will work
against you, not letting you soar high. When you overcome the fear of the
shadow animal totem you bring it into the light world as your spirit animal
totem and they become one of your most powerful animal totems.
What
animal attacks have you been in?
What
scary or traumatic animal situations have you been in?
Does
seeing a certain animal bring up feelings of fear?
What
animal do you run from?
What
animals do you have reoccurring nightmares about?
Does
just watching TV with that animal appearing scare you?
Answering
two questions with the same animal means you have a shadow totem you must address.
Remember that the shadow totem will continually test you and work against you
for you are it's prey. You must embrace the lesson of the animal totem and
conquer your fear, accept the power of the shadow totem, and bring it into the
light as your spiritual totem.
POWER ANIMALS
There
are two ways you can meet your power animal. You can either perform a ritual or
you can meditate. If the ritual makes you uncomfortable then perform the
meditation instead. With either, when you catch that first glimpse of that
particular animal to which you have a connection, you will know it in your
heart.
One
way to perform a ritual is to write down the name of an animal that you feel
would suit you and then call forth to the essence of that particular animal and
ask it to assist you in your present life. Part of the ritual is the honouring
of the animal. The act of honouring an animal is not an act of worship.
Honouring an animal is the acknowledgement of their power and their being. The
animals are your brothers and sisters in the oneness of this, our universe. The
energy of the animals, birds and other creatures that assist you should be
honored. For too long these creatures have not been recognized as our equals.
The American Indians leave tobacco as a gift, scattered on the ground. You
could also burn incense in honour of the animal or leave a gift of some sort
like a crystal or a gem on your altar. Afterwards, you will likely encounter
all kinds of information about an animal of interest either through television,
a book, or in some other way. If this is the case, plan to go into the
meditative state again to cement your relationship with it and to get to know
the animal and the essence it represents better.
To
meet the animal in a meditative state, take a deep breath, still yourself, and
ask your inner being to see which energies are right for you to help you in
your present circumstances. In the silence of meditation you may get a visual
of an animal, or a knowing, or a feeling, or a name may just pop into your head,
or even a combination of these. Make sure to ask for details on the animal so
that you can better acquaint yourself with it. Make sure it is not coming from
you and what you want it to be. You will most likely see the animal in its
natural form and habitat. There may even be a conversation about the animal
between you. Converse with the animal ~ anything is possible on the astral. You
can even merge with your totem and become the animal with your own intelligence
intact [this is known as shape shifting]. Ask questions and get to know your
new companion. Even the most simple of creatures have gifts to offer and many a
person has been quite surprised by what they have. Not everyone has a bear or
eagle so don't get in your own way and block the true animals you work with. If
you find yourself with an animal that you are unable to work with and you
cannot access any of its gifts or abilities it may be that you are not supposed
to be working with that animal ~ at least at this time.
WORKING WITH THE ANIMALS
Now
that you know what your Animal Totem is, you need to work with it. Meditation
tapes and ceremonies are available through a variety of mediums. Simply choose
one that you feel attracted to or that resonates within your spirit. Whether it
be attending a pow-wow or simply sitting down in a quiet space and playing
harps and strings ~ go within to seek your answers. Learn all you can about the
animals that have come to be with you and use your learnings well. The animals
have much to teach and we should listen as we continue ~ on this ~ our journey
into light. Life is complicated enough, use the light to show you the path
upward.
Now
that you've got the animal, what do you do with it? Power animals are great
advice givers, often representing your higher self that you haven't been paying
attention to lately. In a meditative state you can ask for their assistance on
problems that have been nagging at you. Sometimes one power animal or more may
choose to work with another in order to achieve greater success when working
with you. Your animals can assist you in the waking state as well. For example,
if you were trying to teach someone a particular lesson and they were having
difficulty understanding you ~ you would simply ask wolf for assistance for she
is a wise and wonderful teacher.
Animal
totems are used by Shamans in many tribal organizations from around the world
and of these the best known are the American Indian and African. Children can
be taught to work with the animals and they often have a great deal of success
with them. The animal totems are not limited to mammals ~ t he birds, insects
and reptiles can be just as helpful.
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